Elton John’s ‘Rocketman’ Movie Now Has a Release Date

Paramount Pictures scheduled a release date of May 17, 2019, for Rocketman, the movie based on Elton John’s rise to fame.

Taron Egerton of the Kingsman movies will play the singer-songwriter; Dexter Fletcher, who also is credited as a co-director on the upcoming Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, will direct.

“We are making a movie called Rocketman about Elton John’s formative years,” Egerton said. “Everyone thinks it’s a biopic. It isn’t. It’s a fantasy musical, so it’s actually his songs used to express important beats in his life at emotional moments. He’s not the only character that sings. It’s going to be fun. ... I’m going to do it all. I’m going to do it on set as well. We’re going to use a variety of techniques but I will always be singing on set. No miming. I’m just not interested in doing it that way.”

Rocketman, which was written by Lee Hall, was originally announced in 2011 but encountered a series of development issues. Tom Hardy had been cast in the lead role but had to bow out after he struggled with the vocal challenges. “I’m not a singer,” he said at the time. “I have no idea really. I’m really trying because of Rocketman, but it’s hard to open my mouth in that way."

Shooting will start in August. John and his husband, David Furnish, are both listed as producers on the project.

In January, John announced a three-year farewell tour that will include more than 300 shows. It's already being predicted to be worth more than $500 million and to become one of the 10 highest-grossing tours of all time. Last month, a pair of tribute albums featuring big-name artists covering John’s songs was released.